Sherree Carlos discusses Yamini, the design store with loads of attitude.
The ‘F’ words suit her just fine - fun, funky, flippant and financially savvy. Sherree Carlos laughs a lot at herself and at the world at large. The beads in her curly locks are an indication of the spunk in her.
This is how she describes her recent Cochin trip. “It was so hot that I had to remove my hairband, bangles, jewellery, and wondered what else I could take off, to feel cool!” And the success of Yamini, the design store, is just that - the success story of Sherree Carlos, CEO of Yamini.
Here she reveals the ifs, buts, hows and whens of Yamini.
CATCHING UP WITH YAMINI’S PAST Sherree teamed up with childhood mate Sunita Namjoshi, who had set up an export company Synergy. “Sunita wanted to open an outlet where she could stock and sell the surplus, which were not rejects, but fabrics and textiles in wrong sizes,” explains Sheree.
Thus Yamini, named after Sunita’s older daughter, came into being.
WHAT DID YAMINI HAVE IN MIND? “The idea behind Yamini, which was a factory outlet to begin with, was to make Indian textiles available to Indians. Why must you go and buy Indian stuff from Selfridges and Harrods, when you can get them here?”
Changing lifestyles and the definitive need for co-ordinated home furnishings range in sizes relevant to the Indian market, resulted in Yamini — a specialist store, with prime focus on home textiles. And alongside are decor items such as exotic fresh flowers, or lamps, ceramic items, furniture and baskets.
YAMINI’S MARKET VALUE It was only when Yamini had its first clearance sale in 2000, that Sherree began to understand the Indian market. “The sale hit us like a blast; we sold everything we had. The prices were rock-bottom low, and people were picking up items after mixing and matching them,” recalls Sheree.
“Now, we had the space and money, and were brimming with new ideas for new collections. Merging the right colours, textures and prices can be so charming. We work from a broader colour spectrum, do a limited co-ordinated range and create new styles. We’re about to launch something new in pink, a colour that I don’t personally relate to, but our research has shown its popularity.”
“Colour rules for the Indian eye. That’s why we offer a complete range of natural, earthy colours, and another one of solid brights as well as a range of sober and muted pastels, which are visible in the Maheshwari range,” Sheree elaborates.
YAMINI HAS DESIGNS... “Our designs go through an annual cycle:
* In January, we measure and tabulate our research data. * In March we have a clearance sale, where we clear out old stock. Then, we work on designs. There’s travel involved where subtleties are explained, samplings are done. Then the quality of the woven fabric is checked for quality standards.
* In June, people return refreshed from their holidays, and we have a new range on the shelf. * There’s another collection for the festive season in September, where we keep an eye out for new design trends and use elements of it in our fabric creation,” explains Sherree.
What Is Yamini's Future?